At a glance
A witch costume designed by Marek Cpin for “Macbeth”
blue-and-white dress from that production has been recreated by Kristine Kearney, resident costume designer at the OSU Department of Theatre.
A number of distinguished set designs were created by Frantisek Zelenka, who, as a Polish Jew, was forced to stop work in 1939. He and his family were interned in the Terezin ghetto for more than a year, then sent to Auschwitz — where they were killed.
During his time in Terezin, Zelenka sketched a set design for “Richard III,” whose title character is among Shakespeare’s most notorious ■ “Shakespeare in Prague: Imagining the Bard in the Heart of Europe” continues through May 21 at the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays, until 9 p.m. Thursdays. Admission: $14, or $8 for students and senior citizens, $5 for ages 6 to 17, free for ages 5 or younger, and free for all on Sundays. Parking: $5. Call 614-221-4848 or visit www. columbusmuseum.org.
villains, an archetype of evil.
Contemporary productions move away from political dogma to commenting on modern life, Brandesky said.
A 2010 production of “Macbeth” includes costumes created by Marek Cpin. A shimmering purple witch’s gown, both beautiful and formidable, is on view with a video showing the witches’ scene from the production.
Works in the exhibit remind viewers of the universality of Shakespeare’s plays. The Czechs, and people of other non-English-speaking nations, regard Shakespeare as their own, Brandesky said.
Sometimes, when one of the plays has been curiously reworked, he said, “you’ll hear them ask, ‘What have they done to our Shakespeare?’”
After its run in Columbus, “Shakespeare in Prague” will travel to San Antonio, where it will open July 10 at the University of the Incarnate Word.